Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Sweetwater-Impoundments-Brackish » Blading Bass Basics
Blading Bass Basics
By Keeghan Painter
As anglers, we all have that one lure that sits in our tackle box for what seems like an eternity, getting overlooked and unloved time and time again. Whether it be for reasons of getting stuck using your favourite lures or just not having the knowledge or confidence to use something new. It's time to dust that lure off and get it in the water. If that lure for you happens to be a blade, then get it out of your tackle box, fit it out with some nice, sharp, new, shiny trebles and get casting. From flathead to bass, shallow water to deep, the humble blade in my opinion is without a doubt one of the most versatile and vastly overlooked lures in everyone's tackle arsenal.
For those of you who are unaware of what a 'blade' is, essentially it's a small metal lure in the shape of a baitfish or shrimp, with trebles underneath and a tow point for your line on top. A very close cousin to the lipless crank bait family, the blade holds its own as a much more versatile lure.
Let's talk about the fundamentals of the lure itself. Tackle Tactics offer three variations of a blade; the Ghostblade, Switchblade and Switchblade HD. All of these options are fitted with a set of two trebles underneath and a snaplock attached to a tow point on top. There are several holes on top of the lure to change where you would like your tow point to be. The further forward the tow point the tighter the action and vibration in the water, the further back, the more erratic heavier vibration.
The Ghostblade is the more finesse option of the blade range. Available in 1/12 and 1/6oz options, the transparent, polycarbonate construction of this blade makes it a great option for clear and shallow water.
The Switchblade is a solid metal lure and has the largest amount of family members in its range. Available in 20 colours and weights including 1/8, 1/6, 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2oz, the switchblade offers every chance possible to catch that target species you're after.
The Switchblade HD is the third member of the team and is basically the big brother of the original switchblade. With its beefed up VMC Trebles and heavier weights, including 1, 1.5 and 2oz, this is the blade ready to tackle some of your larger more heavyweight fighters.
As an angler on the Bass Pro scene of the ABT Tournaments, obviously the techniques that I'm about to go over are directed at tackling the mighty Australian bass. These techniques however can be easily transferred across to any fish you're chasing, with minor variations as to what is going to work best in your situation.
There are several techniques that I like to use when fishing blades, from casting and hopping to vertical jigging or slow rolling, all of the above are killer for hooking up. Generally I use blades as a shallow water lure, looking for wide open flats or areas that have a nice, healthy weed line that the bass are sitting in, waiting to strike.
Over flats, using the cast and roll (slow wind) technique seems to be very effective. By making nice long casts and rolling the blade back to you, you are letting the lure do the work as a search bait, picking out schools of feeding bass or grabbing the attention of those individual bass sitting suspended in the water column. Slow long lifts of your blade or smaller hops can also be a super effective way of targeting these flats fish.
These retrieves work just as well along steeper rock bluff walls, where the bass may be sitting in undercuts of the rock itself. Where the blade really shines and my favourite place to use this lure is on super shallow banks and in shallow bays full of healthy weed. The biggest rule of thumb is no shallow is too shallow. Whether its 6 foot or 2 foot of water, as long as there is active feeding fish there, this should catch their attention.
The weight of choice is a 1/6 or 1/4oz. Yes, this is a rather heavy weight for such a shallow presentation, however that's the point. You will be working this lure quite erratically, so you want a fast sink rate and a heavy hit on the bottom to stir up a little cloud of silt or sand around the blade, in turn making this a reaction style bait.
You will need to do a little lure customisation to make the most of this technique in these areas. What you will need to do is take both of the trebles off the lure and only use one set of twin assist hooks off the trailing end of the blade. This will allow the lure to be somewhat more snagless to timber and rock on these shallow banks and will allow the lure the rip through weed more freely, rather than getting hung up with six treble hook points.
The technique is similar to the cast and hop, however instead of a hop you want a tiny bit of slack in your line and then it's a really fast rip or pop of the lure in an upwards fashion. The slack in the line, when popped or ripped, will see the blade shoot upward, while not moving too far in the water column. Then, the slightly heavier weight will cause it to fall fast and make a cloud when it hits the bottom, helping to attract the attention of feeding bass. Continue this retrieve until you get the lure back to your boat and then cast gain. This particular technique has been my number one over the last few years competing in pro bass tournaments and has accounted for countless Top 10 finishes in tournament events.
So, like I said earlier, we all have that one lure in our tackle box that gets overlooked each time we fish. Hopefully now, with a little bit of insight as to how versatile and effective the TT Lures blade family can be, this will be one less lure getting overlooked. Don't be afraid to try these techniques and fail. Practice makes perfect and like everything, it takes patience and time to perfect these techniques. Through persistence and perseverance you will succeed and discover how fun throwing a blade can be.
If you would like more tips and tricks on targeting Australian bass or general tackle hacks be sure to follow me on social media under Keeghan Painter Fishing. Follow me on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, and don't be afraid to shoot me a message if you have any other questions.
Gearing Up:
TT Lures Ghostblade
TT Lures Switchblade
TT Lures Switchblade HD